Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono’s cardiac rehabilitation program has earned American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation certification, which adheres to national guidelines for appropriate and effective early outpatient care of patients with cardiac issues.

LVH–Pocono currently maintains the only certified cardiac rehabilitation program in Monroe County.

“We are extremely proud of this accomplishment,” said Linda Breen, MS, Clinical Supervisor of LVH-Pocono’s Cardiac Services.

“We have always had positive feedback from our patients letting us know how much they had enjoyed the program and how much it helped them learn about heart disease and exercising safely, but this validates our methods and procedures and lets us know we are doing the best we can for our patients.”

LVH–Pocono’s cardiac rehabilitation program is designed to help patients with cardiovascular problems (such as heart attacks, coronary artery bypass graft surgery congestive heart failure, heart valve replacement) recover faster and improve their quality of life.

This program includes exercise, education, counseling and support for patients and their families.

“We are entering our 40th year of providing cardiac rehabilitation to the residents of Monroe County, and plan to be here to complete their cardiac care at LVH–Pocono for a very long time to come,” Breen said.

The hospital’s cardiac rehabilitation program participated in an application process that requires extensive documentation of the program’s practices. AACVPR Program Certification is the only peer-review accreditation process designed to review individual programs for adherence to standards and guidelines developed and published by AACVPR and other professional societies. Each program is reviewed by the AACVPR Program Certification Committee and certification is awarded by the AACVPR board of directors.

AACVPR-certified programs are recognized as leaders in the field of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation because they offer the most advanced practices available.